Concio, Bersamina lead Filipino chess contingent vying for top spots

Filipino chess players Michael Concio Jr. and Pau Bersamina maintained their title hopes by winning crucial matches in the Bangkok Chess Club Open on Sunday night.

Concio defeated Australian IM James Morris, while Bersamina secured a victory over Latvian Arsens Batashevs, both showcasing strong endgame skills to secure wins that put them in contention for third place with Indian Grandmaster Babu Lalit, each scoring 6.5 points out of eight rounds played.

To vie for the championship title, Concio and Bersamina must win their final round matches while hoping that leaders Evgeny Romanov and Ang Ern Jie Anderson draw theirs; Concio will face GM Babu Lalit, while Bersamina will play against Ukrainian GM Vitaliy Bernardskiy.

Another Filipino participant, FM Christian Gian Carlo Arca, secured a half-point from his draw with Indian GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, achieving his third International Master (IM) norm in the process and now needs to reach the 2400-rating plateau to become an IM; he faces former world challenger GM Nigel Short in the final round.